“In addition, the current adult categories [disabled or parents] have very low income thresholds. So the expansion extends coverage by both creating a new ‘group’ with higher income than other traditional coverage groups.”

The Medicaid expansion is 100 percent federally funded under the Affordable Care Act until 2016, Solsky said. She said qualifying adults are those ages 19 to 64 whose income is up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line. That equates to $16,105 for one adult, according to healthcare.gov.

Prior to expansion, nearly all enrollees were under 100 percent of the poverty line, “by a good margin,” Solsky said.

The expanded Medicaid program began accepting applications in July, with coverage beginning Aug. 15, Solsky said.

“We didn’t have an [enrollment] target for calendar year 2014. We do have a target for the first 12 months of the program,” Solsky said.

And while over 26,000 new enrollees in five months is on pace to surpass the 50,000 that was projected for a year, Solsky said there is no financial burden on the program.

There are two important things to know about the program, Solsky said.

“One, it’s the law that people have health coverage, and [two], this is comprehensive coverage [for an individual],” Solsky said.

Currently, there are about 140,000 “traditional” Medicaid enrollees in New Hampshire, in addition to the new 26,000 under the expansion.

The federal government will continue to fund the program — paying no less than 90 percent — after 2016.